Bitter cold wind chills expected through Thursday

NEBRASKA CITY – Dangerously cold wind chills remain in the forecast for the entire region through the mid-week.

“The confidence level is pretty high” that wind chills will drop below minus 30 on Wednesday, said Scott Dergan, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

A wind chill warning remains in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday evening through noon Wednesday for all of southwest Iowa, northwest Missouri, and Otoe, Cass, Sarpy and Douglas Counties in Nebraska. A wind chill advisory will follow from noon Wednesday to 9 a.m. Thursday.

The rest of southeast Nebraska remains in a wind chill advisory.

The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes and even hypothermia or death could happen if precautions are not taken, according to weather officials.

The week has already started out raw. Winds gusted in excess of 50 mph Monday morning across eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa, Dergan said.

A high wind warning remains in effect until noon. These are observed wind gusts across the region as of 5 AM. pic.twitter.com/l5ungqH6OW